It was a cloudy morning on 29june 2010 at 9.30am as 96 excited international students from the KDI School embarked on a journey to the DMZ Third Tunnel tour. This was probably the highlight of the brief break between the first and second session of the summer semester.

Our first stop was Imjingak Park where the Bridge of Freedom lies. Built in 1972 with the hope that unification would someday be possible between the two Koreas, it is a former railroad bridge which was used by repatriated prisoners of war/soldiers returning from the North. Today, it serves as a reminder of the ongoing conflict between North and South and a memorial to the fallen soldiers. On the barbed fence, visitors hang colorful ribbons with wishes of unification.

After a sumptuous buffet lunch at a nearby restaurant, we headed to the Third Infiltration Tunnel which was discovered in October 1978. At 73 meters underground it was apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. Wearing hardhats, we stooped low and marched down the chilly 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, 2 m (6.5 ft) high and 2 m (6.5 ft) wide tunnel.

Next, we headed to Dora Observatory to get a better view of North Korea. Situated on top of Dorasan, the observatory looks across the Demilitarized Zone. Through binoculars, we strained our eyes to sneak a peek at the South Korean village and the North Korean propaganda village situated in the DMZ. If only it wasn’t so hazy!

Our final stop was the new and shiny Dorasan Station. It was designed to be the station that connects the railroads of the South and North one day in the future. Ice-creams, commemoration stamps and one last group picture wrapped up the day.

By Janet Chin Shuk Henn, 2009 MBA, Malaysia